Reiki Evolution in Europe
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Since the "Original Usui Reiki" Course had been such a success in the UK, with courses being run all over the country - Scotland, Wales, Midlands, South Coast and East Anglia - I contacted some Reiki practitioners in Europe to see if there was any interest there in the new information coming from Japan. As a result of this, I ran four such Courses in Europe in 2000-2001, as well as receiving, as visitors to the UK, Reiki Masters from Germany and Austria who came to learn the new techniques.
Running courses in other countries has been an exciting adventure for me, and I feel so lucky and privileged to have been given the opportunity to do this work. I have made many lovely new friends and I have been made to feel so welcome by the people who have organised the courses for me, and the students on the courses.
I would like to thank Carly Horbowiec (Holland), Gabriella Campioni (Italy) and Sol Karina Hammare (Sweden) so much for all their help, guidance and support, and for the many things that they have taught me about Reiki - three Masters with a wealth of experience and knowledge and I am very grateful to them for sharing their experiences with me so freely and openly.
Holland in June 2000
Visit Carly Horbowiec's Web Site
The course in Holland was organised by Carly and Peter Horbowiec, shown in the picture to your right. They are two 'free' (i.e. independent Reiki teachers who are not a part of the "Reiki Alliance") Reiki Masters who run courses and provide treatments using Reiki and a range of other therapies. I stayed with them at their home, and it was lovely to spend time getting to know them both and to explain our different approaches to Reiki. They made me feel so welcome.
The course itself was held in a commune in Voorburg and was attended by a dozen of Carly's students, a talented group of people who are already working intuitively and were free from a narrow and dogmatic approach to the practice of Reiki.
Fortunately everyone on the course spoke good English - I had been listening to Dutch language tapes but it was hardly adequate - and the course was well received. It was a fun time.
Everyone seemed to get a lot out of the new techniques and the feedback that I received from Carly afterwards was all positive. Carly worked very hard to make the course a success, including translating the course manual into Dutch, and I would like to thank her for her generosity and support.
After the course, we all visited a Chinese restaurant, and it was so strange to see Chinese waitresses speaking Dutch! The time that I was in Holland flew by too quickly, and it seemed that no sooner did I arrive than I had to leave again, having made some good friends. Reiki seems to cut through all barriers.
Italy in October 2000
The course in Italy was organised by Gabriella Campioni (she is on the right in the picture, together with her friend Francesca). Gabriella is a 'free' Reiki Master who runs Reiki courses and is the author of one of the most popular Reiki books on the Italian market. I stayed with Gabriella at her home, and it was lovely to spend time getting to know her, to explain my approach to Reiki, and to hear about her experiences with Usui Reiki and Karuna.
Gabriella made me feel so welcome, and her Italian cooking was wonderful! English weather seemed to have followed me to Milan, because there was torrential rain most of the time. The skies only cleared when I did some sightseeing, and Gabriella showed me round the biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world - Il Duomo - as well as The Church of St Ambrose, with wonderful neo-classical, baroque and 'barbarian' art.
The course itself was held in a Natural Healing Centre in Milan, run by a lady called Francesca Drago. The course was attended by over two dozen of Gabriella and Francesca's students, a diverse and talented group of people who took to the new techniques enthusiastically.
Most people on the course were not able to understand English, so Gabriella did simultaneous translation on the two days of the course. She also translated the manual into Italian - this was a lot of hard work and I am very grateful to her, and to Francesca, for making the course such a success. Francesca's cooking was wonderful, too!
I had been listening to Italian language tapes for a while beforehand, and I got on better with Italian than I did with Dutch. One of the funniest experiences I had was trying to talk with Francesca. She knew as much English as I did Italian, so we used sign language, pidgin Italian and English, and school French dredged up from the deep recesses of our memories! Everyone seemed to get a lot out of the new techniques and the feedback that I have received from Gabriella afterwards was all positive.
Sweden in November 2000
The course in Sweden was organised by Sol Karina Hammare, shown in the picture with her husband, Peter Tillman. She is a 'free' Reiki Master who runs Reiki courses and provides Reiki treatments, and is a well-known Reiki teacher in Sweden.
I stayed with Sol Karina and her husband Peter at their home in Älvsbyn, one hour's drive from the arctic circle, and it was lovely to spend time getting to know them, to explain my approach to Reiki, and to hear about their experiences with Usui Reiki. Sol Karina and Peter made me feel so welcome, as did her children Matthias, Rudi and Roni.
The course itself was held in a house on the grounds of a Hotel in Storforsen, close to the biggest waterfall in Europe. The scenery was breathtaking, and although when I arrived the temperature was below zero, and there was some snow, soon the weather became very English - with rain, rain and grey skies! The course was attended by fourteen of Sol Karina's students, a talented group of people who seemed to get a lot out of the new methods presented.
Most people on the course were able to understand English, fortunately, and Sol Karina had translated the manual into Swedish - this was a lot of hard work and I am very grateful to her and Peter for making the course such a success.
I had been listening to Swedish language tapes for a little while beforehand, but unfortunately I found Swedish exceedingly difficult to pronounce, with lots of unfamiliar vowel sounds. Everyone seemed to get a lot out of the new techniques and the feedback that I have received from Sol Karina afterwards has been all positive.
Holland in July 2001
On the weekend of July 14th/15th, 20 Reiki Masters from various parts of Holland descended on De Lindehoeve, Alphen aan den Rijn, Zuid Holland to learn the techniques of Original Usui Reiki. This time, the course was presented jointly by Taggart King and Carly Horbowiecz from Zoetermeer, who trained with Taggart last year.
The weekend was a magical experience, with fun, excitement, emotion and laughter, wonderful tranquil surroundings, good food and lovely warm weather. It was a truly special experience, and the simple, powerful methods that characterise Reiki's original form made a real difference to those that attended, and opened some eyes to the simplicity, and the freedom, of Usui's system.
We have been flooded with e-mails from the people who attended, and these comments are typical:
" I am looking back on a very informative, practical and thorough workshop that made me feel like having come home to Reiki at last. I hope you realise you are responsible for having me work like crazy now to change the whole set-up for my own workshops, filling in the people that already trained with me and making plans to restart giving Reiki courses! I am enjoying myself to the hilt."
On the Saturday evening we had a 'reunion' for the people who came on the course last year, and it was lovely to meet our new friends again.
Taggart would like to thank Carly and Peter Horbowiecz for looking after him so well, making him feel so welcome in their home, and for doing all the hard work to make the weekend possible.
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